The politics of serial television fiction: Structural developments, narrative themes, and the nonlinear turn
Bielefeld: transcript (2025), 431 pp.
Contains 41 figures, bibliogr. pp. 401-431
Series: Serien- und Fernsehforschung, 2
ISBN 978-3-8376-7568-9 (pbk); 978-3-8394-7568-3 (pdf)
CC BY
Other editions: Humboldt-Universität Berlin and King´s College London, Doctoral Thesis 2023
"Fictional TV politics played a pivotal role in the popular imaginaries of the 2010s across cultures. Examining this curious phenomenon, Sebastian Naumann provides a wide-ranging analysis of the rapidly evolving landscape of contemporary polit-series. Proposing a novel structural model of serial television, he offers an innovative methodological framework for comparative textual analysis that integrates sociocultural, economic, sociotechnical, narratological, and aesthetic perspectives. This study furthermore explores how the changing affordances of (nonlinear) television impact serial storytelling and identifies key narrative trends and recurring themes in contemporary TV polit-fiction." (Publisher description)
1. Introduction, 15
2. Contemporary TV, Complexity, Power Struggles and the Cynical Turn: Pertinent Research Perspectives on Polit-Series, 29
3. Actors, Games, and Players: An Analytical Model for Serial Television Fiction, 89
4. Royal Performance and the Queen’s Three Bodies: The Making of the British Monarchy in the Netflix Series THE CROWN, 143
5. Overcoming Omnishambles: The Changing Face of Polit-Comedy from VEEP and EICHWALD, MDB to THE POLITICIAN, 195
6. The Curious Case of Volodymyr Zelensky and Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko: Idealism and Populism in SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE, 241
7. Modelling Malfunction and Inverting the Populist Quest: BARON NOIR, 287
8. Starting “from some kind of scratch”: The Recalibration of HOUSE OF CARDS, Season 6, 327
9. Conclusion: Polit-Series, Politics, and (Progressive) Perspectives, 369
List of Contemporary Polit-Series, 395
2. Contemporary TV, Complexity, Power Struggles and the Cynical Turn: Pertinent Research Perspectives on Polit-Series, 29
3. Actors, Games, and Players: An Analytical Model for Serial Television Fiction, 89
4. Royal Performance and the Queen’s Three Bodies: The Making of the British Monarchy in the Netflix Series THE CROWN, 143
5. Overcoming Omnishambles: The Changing Face of Polit-Comedy from VEEP and EICHWALD, MDB to THE POLITICIAN, 195
6. The Curious Case of Volodymyr Zelensky and Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko: Idealism and Populism in SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE, 241
7. Modelling Malfunction and Inverting the Populist Quest: BARON NOIR, 287
8. Starting “from some kind of scratch”: The Recalibration of HOUSE OF CARDS, Season 6, 327
9. Conclusion: Polit-Series, Politics, and (Progressive) Perspectives, 369
List of Contemporary Polit-Series, 395
